My voice didn’t put too much of an effect on Chalino Z. He was greening up in our round; trying to run past the nice, slow distance I found. It was his first show in the three feet after all, only just doing pre-greens yesterday with Todd, and he was doing awful well for a greenie. But even though I pulled, sat deep, and coaxed, the distance was tight and everyone knew it. Chalino didn’t bring his knees up as well as he possibly could, but well enough.
The first fence in the outside line I was going down acted as a bit of a speed bump for him, so we got a nice and even distance over the colorful oxer. Chalino had been a somewhat nervous wreck this round, dragging me through the corners and taking the bit. It was the first week of WEF after all, and we had another eleven where I would be showing him. Originally, Chalino Z was going to be ridden by Navaeh, but she stepped up all the way to junior jumpers and Todd wanted him to get as many miles as possible, having him in pre-greens and also wanting a rider for Children’s. Junior jumpers and Children’s don’t clash, so the catch ride went to me. It was nice getting to sit back on Chalino Z, after all.
We had one fence left, a single oxer. And Chalino right away quickened going to it. I knew I couldn’t win a fight with a 1200-pound animal, so I let him travel a bit. The distance came right up, but we were fast going over it. At least it was an improvement over our first round where Chalino turned thoroughbred on me.
There were a few claps from the crowd, but not the great hurrah I had hoped for. Maybe he’ll be better for tomorrow, since this was his first time in the ring. I shrugged it off, giving Chalino a rub on his neck. I didn’t have the smile on my face I loved to feel, but I didn’t feel bad about my round. Todd hated a bad attitude, and I wasn’t going to be the person that put him in a bad mood from it.
“Nice.” Todd nodded slowly, his face tight. “He was green, but we’ve got tomorrow.”
I shrugged. “Yeah. He gets nervous about the jumps.”
“I saw that.” Todd agreed with me. “Anyway, it was decent. Go take your spurs off, since I have a jumper I want you to sit on.”
I nodded to Todd, jumping off of Chalino right when he finished his words. After my reserve champion on Sol as well as Goodie after winning the over fences on him escaladed me right up to where I always dreamed of being. I finally managed to prove myself, and Todd in return would write ten horses next to my name every day down at The Bay. The Bay was, after all, on the outskirts of Grand Prix village so it was beyond easy riding the horses at home and then riding them up here to show. I did have a good handful of catch rides now, so when I showed I didn’t have the time to go all the way there and back with my horses.
One of our grooms, Pablo, grabbed Chalino’s reins from me. I nodded thanks, since he would have to do the annoying walk back to The Bay. Then again- maybe I should have walked Chalino back myself since I now had to ride this new jumper. Gritting my teeth, I turned back to Todd.
“Is the jumper back at the barn?” I asked him, a hint of anticipation showing in my voice.
“What? Oh. No.” Todd shook his head. “He’s by the Denemethy schooling ring already. He’s a big flaxen boy- you won’t miss him.”
Flaxen. Of course it was flaxen.
I nodded to Todd, stretching as I began the walk to the far end of the Wellington show grounds. Ever since Banner died in my arms at Pony Finals last year, he was engraved in my mind forever. I would look at a sweet little chestnut with a lighter mane and tail and instantly it would be Banner who flooded into my thoughts. Now that I had the braided Banner hair bracelet Mattie got me, I could always remember him. And I knew straight away when I rode this horse, I would only think of the little small pony.
It took me three minutes in all to reach the Denemethy ring from the ring where I show in children’s. Alex and I nicknamed it the ‘ghetto jumper ring’ since after all, it was pretty out of the way and ignored. Even so, many jumper classes took place in it. But not many people used their schooling rings for simple schooling of a new horse, so it would be a nice place to ride this new jumper.
I hummed to myself quietly the lyrics that I sang to Banner that day. I’ll be with you.That one line kept repeating itself in my head, and I looked down at my wrist. Right there was the bracelet, and he was with me. See Banner? I told you I would be with you. I wasn’t paying much attention to anything, and nearly walked straight past the schooling ring. When I realized my error, I whirled around and instantly saw the horse Todd was talking about it. And, well, he was hard to miss.
The jumper was huge; I would give it that, and was a freshly clipped flaxen horse that was maybe a shade lighter than Banner was. He had a sharp blaze running down his face and went on to cover his entire chin. To top it off, he had four stockings and truly stood out in the crowd of bays. It was easy to tell he was a warmblood of some sort, probably an import, but he sure was striking. There was no doubt he would catch everyone’s eye if he showed.
I walked up to the horse, which I could see right away was a gelding, and rubbed his face. One of our grooms was holding him and leaning against the fence, watching me as I got to know the gelding a bit better. He stood right there, staring at me motionlessly. And right then, he put his head forward and began to rub it up and down my polo.
I laughed, pushing him away. He went right back to standing right there, looking at me with those big brown eyes. He seemed like a kind jokester. Not necessarily the brightest, but with good intentions. Eager to please. I liked him already. His nostrils flared, smelling me and getting to know myself as a person. I tickled him under his chin, and he seemed to enjoy it based off of his ears that were extremely far forward.
“What’s his name?” I asked the groom, continuing to show him my love.
“Marvel.” The groom said simply.
“Marvel. I like it.” I said with a nod, walking to the side to bring my stirrups down and tighten the girth.
I got a leg up, and instantly found myself sitting atop the flaxen jumper, Marvel. I thought the name fit, being an upbeat, innocent name for a silly and bright horse. Todd was busy, now probably heading to the pony ring, and I figured it was for the better that he hired another trainer, Susie to work beside him. She was younger, not quite as experienced, but very good. A nice equitation and jumper trainer I would say. She was probably with Navaeh as she showed in the junior hunters right now, which left me to be alone. That’s how it normally was. Whenever I hopped on an extra horse, it would be up to me to figure it out and put a good ride in.
I tightened my reins, and I instantly loved how Marvel accepted the bit. I could tell he had spring in his step with the way he walked in a nice, bouncy manner, but he waited for my command. He knew to go in a frame, and I could keep a tight rein and he wouldn’t care. I did feel tiny up there, but I didn’t think I would have a problem with now he seemed to listen to me.
After a lap of walking, I pushed Marvel up to a trot. He chomped on the bit, instantly getting a nice, light, and strong gait. He had a lot of power as I could tell, but managed to contain myself. He was really quite a dream. I found that I could easily equitate on the gelding, and he seemed to know all of the different lateral movements I asked to him. Most of Todd’s horses were sales horses, but I hope Marvel isn’t. Not only could I tell he was talented, but he was enjoyable to ride as well. Could I afford it, I would buy a horse like Marvel. But I did, after all, purchase Toujours recently.
Oh, Toujours. He instantly became the thought buzzing around my head as changed direction and let Marvel stretch. I loved him, and he was one of the nicest potential pony hunters out there. His movement was amazing, and he jumped like a freak. But I couldn’t crack his case yet. He threw me at least once a week, even when I expected him to buck. He would just buck so hard that there was nothing I could do to stay on. He even had a bit of a stopping fetish that I since discovered when we tried jumping him greater heights. Todd was getting impatient with him, not supporting me buying him in the first place, but I could not see him go to Mac. Anything but Mac. And if I could get him to stop being so ridiculous- he would go far.
Marvel seemed to be getting a little bored based off of how he flicked his ears, awaiting a command. I grumbled, sitting the trot and getting a shoulder in. Instantly his ears shot forward again, and he worked through the movement like he’d been doing it for years. It was funny though, because Marvel appeared a bit young. Just has great training, I guess.
After a good ten minutes, I got a canter. I loved him even for after that. He had a delightful, rocking horse canter and I could feel the power in his stride. Yet it wasn’t so powerful and ridiculous that I would be forced to sit and reel him in. I could even half-seat on the longside because he wasn’t going to take off with me like a lot of the jumpers I ride would. He wasn’t necessarily comfy, but he was perfectly comfy if I just stayed light on him. I weaved through some of the jumpers schooling for a low junior jumper class, since they wouldn’t appreciate a pony kid running around on some sunny looking jumper.
Once I reached the corner, I got Marvel to turn on a dime and hop into a lead change. Damn, he could sure turn. It hardly took any pressure to get him to whip around the turn like that. He was a good find for Todd, that’s for sure. I had ridden a nice handful of jumpers for Todd, even showing one in the children’s jumpers, but none of them compared to Marvel. And Marvel knew he was great. I could tell he thought he was a prince based off the joking glint in his eye and the way he would expertly maneuver through difficult movements and flick his ear as if to say ‘Is this it?’
Had I been jumping him, I would have cantered a bit longer. But I was only getting used to the horse and hacking him, so after a few laps I slowed Marvel to a walk. He didn’t seem happy we ended, but he had a light sweat so he accepted it. I instantly rubbed my hand up and down his neck. Man, I sure hope I would get the chance to ride Marvel a few more times. But the majority of the time I would ride a horse once before it went to a client. I hoped it wouldn’t be the same with Marvel. And sure enough, Susie came to view, stretching with her blue GPA hat on like she always did.
“Hey.” She called to me, an iced coffee in hand as she always did.
“Hi Susie.” I called back to her, pulling Marvel out of the ring and halting him. “What’s up?”
“Well, I see you finished up on Marvelous.” She said. Marvelous. I guess that was his show name, pun definitely intended. “Did you like him?”
“Loved him.” I said in all honesty. “He’s a great horse.”
Susie nodded a second, taking a nice long sip of her coffee. It had no cream or sugar, and I wondered if it was the black coffee that gave Susie part of her bite. She wasn’t mean, but she was definitely stricter and a bit harsher than Todd was. She was strict like Maggie, but the difference was that Susie wasn’t mean. She was just helpful, with her intentions in the right place. I awaited for her response.
“Well, that’s a nice answer.” She yawned. “Todd wanted you to show that one throughout WEF. Your jumper partner.”
“Oh.” The word escaped my lips. “Oh… That’s awesome. This weekend?”
“No. Starting Week Two.” Susie said again before taking another sip. “Toodles.”
I was eternally grateful that marvel was going to be my jumper partner. Todd did say he wanted to pair me with a jumper, but I didn’t know so soon. So I guess Marvel would be one of my partners for the remainder of WEF. I watched Susie leave, thoughts buzzing in my mind. My muscles would probably ache soon, Marvel being another addition to a medium green, Chalino, large pony, junior hunter, not to mention my own two ponies throughout the winter season.
So I guess I could afford to get to know Marvel. I could spend some extra time getting to know all of his quirks and random facts. That made me happy, since I wouldn’t have to ride him without making a connection. The groom expected me to hop off and hand Marvel over t be taken back, but I had an hour before I did Sol. I already did Goodie, the extra large, and green, picking up some blues throughout the three of them. Competition would get harder as the weeks went on, but for now I could get top ribbons in all the classes. Now that Navaeh and Mattie left ponies completely- it was easier for me to win classes.
“It’s fine. I can ride him back.” I told the groom, who graciously took my words as a well-deserved break.
I walked Marvel towards the pony ring where Kenzie was tooling in the smalls on a new one. Marvel stood out with all the little ponies, him being at least 17 hands, but I shrugged it off. I took him towards the road where horses and golf carts went back and forth. It was horse crossing, alright. Cars always looked out for the crossing horses, and I never had a problem crossing. So Marvel and I got across without a problem, cars stopping as he walked on the pavement.
And so I entered grand prix village. Right away, barns appeared to my left and right. That was what the hedge wrapped around our barn separated us from. It was a little ways of weaving and walking, but after ten minutes I successfully managed to reach The Bay in all of its glory. Many of our riders were walking from the opposite direction ready to show, and I hoped to see one certain person among them. Mattie. But I didn’t see him, and he wasn’t at the grounds, so surely he must still be at the barn.
I made it to the front of the barn before hopping off of Marvel and being met by a groom. I gave the big gelding one more pat before he got led off to be hosed down and put away. I let out a yawn, by day being somewhat tiring so far. It was always a walk in the park with Sol, though. He had grown up a lot and was now a kid’s dream. After showing him this year, I could lease him out to a child to bring up. I couldn’t let go yet, but if I decided to Todd could back me up with a mount straightaway. But every time, I told him no, I wanted to continue showing Sol. I could get a pretty penny for him after he was the nation’s grand champion medium green, but I could not do it.
I walked into the barn, seeing it buzz with life. I loved seeing a nice and full barn, but when I wanted privacy I would walk off to the pony barn and take a break. With a sigh, I went in the direction of my tack trunk so I could take off my helmet and cool down. But instead, I got a surprise. Mattie was sitting on top, arms stretched to the back of his head with the smirk he always has.
Mattie always was a friend, but ever since Pony Finals- he was more. My boyfriend. I was fourteen, he was fifteen, and it was only young, innocent love- but what harm was it? We would go on walks after the barn, sit a hill and talk, or Mattie’s favorite- kisses on the edge of the beach. Based off of the look in his eye, I should expect a request.
“Hey, girl.” He said, voice calm and cracking.
“How’s it going, Mattie?” I asked, walking towards him as I let my hair fall away. He smiled. “You know- I need to get into my tack trunk.”
Mattie puckered his lips. “Well. I can arrange that. But I have a request.”
I laughed under my breath. He always did. He was always the kind, pure Mattie I had known from the start- but ever since we became ‘official’ there was always a little more. He brought out the rebellious Schaefer. Around Mattie, I stopped being so innocent. I put my hands on my sides, being unable to hold back a smile that was beginning to grow on my face. Mattie sensed it.
“What’s your request?” I asked, eyes narrowed and the smile beginning to form.
“A kiss.” He said, blue eyes glittering in anticipation. Right away, I knew he meant it.
“Not happening.” I said, putting my hands on my sides.
“Well,” Mattie began to say, innocently looking to the ground. “No tack trunk for you then.”
I scowled, throwing my hands up in the air. Mattie laughed, and secretly I sensed the humor too. However, he was totally right. I had no chance of pushing him off of my tack trunk, and if I wanted to get in I knew what I needed to do. I sighed, walking up a few steps. I grinned sheepishly, Mattie’s eyes glittering.
I looked both ways before leaning in and giving Mattie a peck on the cheek. He had completely shut his eyes in anticipation of it, and seemed a bit surprised I didn’t live up to his expectation. While he sat there dazed, expecting a nice, large smooch on the lips, I used that time to push him off of my tack trunk and sent him tumbling forwards in the direction of a wash stall. Before he could react, I whipped the top open and whirled back around to him.
“What? No!” He yelled. “That’s not fair. Cheater.”
“Oh, boo-hoo.” I mimicked Mattie, pulling off my number. “Mattie’s girl didn’t give him a kiss on the lips.”
Mattie’s eyelashes fluttered, obviously humored by me but still a little disappointed. I froze a second in the midst of putting on Sol’s number, and he did the same. I rolled my eyes, wondering what in the world I was doing, but before long I whipped back around towards Mattie. He staggered, thinking he did the same idea as I did, and then he sure did.
I walked forward, my smaller form not quite reaching up to Mattie. He put his hands on my waist, and I planted a kiss right on his lips. He smiled, his blue eyes shimmering like waves on the ocean. He smiled, and I smiled. No, I was far from innocent Schaefer around him. Navaeh and Alex were always very shocked to see me open up towards Mattie, but it just felt natural to me. I was confident around him.
“You happy?” I whispered to him.
“Yes ma’am.” He whispered back, and I pulled away.
Just then, I heard footsteps to my right. I pulled myself quite swiftly from Mattie, obviously a little flustered. I hoped whoever it was didn’t catch what Mattie and I were doing- because barn love wasn’t exactly my thing. But to my luck it happened to be a very familiar face, Navaeh. She didn’t even throw the two of us a glance and almost looked tired as she made way towards our tack trunk. When she realized our awkward, blinking faces, she narrowed her eyes and looked up.
“Did I… Miss something?” She asked.
“Nope. Just getting ready to show.” Mattie perked up, saving the day. “Well, I better be off. Good luck, Schaefer.”
I watched him exit, and stared rooted at the spot the full ten seconds it took for him to walk out. I raised a brow, turning back to Navaeh who had the biggest smirk on her face. I furrowed a brow, and her look said it all. Of course she knew what we were up to, but she was Navaeh. Everything was innocent and humorous to her.
I quickly put my hair back up into my helmet, quickly glancing in every way. I probably looked very foolish, all dazed and out of sorts. Navaeh simply shook her head, a slight grin on. She understood, though. It only took three weeks for Teddy to kick Grace out of his personal life. And only in December, Alex’s sixteen-year-old cousin took Navaeh as his own. They really were a perfect pair, being the joking and quiet type. They never were quite as rebellious as Mattie and I could be, but seeing them talk over pina coladas at the beach never ceased to bring a smile to my face.
And as I tucked the final strands of hair into my loyal speed air, I walked towards the pony barn to fetch my pony.